


A Little Talk

by LastCorsair



Category: RWBY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23817103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastCorsair/pseuds/LastCorsair
Summary: One morning at breakfast, Taiyang noticed a mark on his younger daughter's neck and decided that it was time for a little talk.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

Taiyang stifled a sigh as he set a cup of coffee in front of each of his daughters. The way they were both dressed, they had plans for the day. Which almost certainly did not include sitting around the house with their dear old dad and playing video games. Any emphasis on the ‘old’ part was purely in Taiyang’s mind.

He guessed it was inevitable. Even if Ruby was only a freshman in high school, she was starting to want to be out on her own more. Which he was okay with, to a point. Taiyang was a certified martial arts instructor, and he’d made sure both of them were well-trained to fight off an attacker. Poor decisions, well, that he could do less about. But he’d done all he could to teach both Yang and Ruby to be smart, if not always absolutely safe.

Something on Ruby’s neck caught his attention, and he reached out to brush her messy hair out of the way. “Stop that, dad,” she said, looking up at him with those shining silver eyes, so much like her mother’s. “I don’t need a haircut. My hair’s just fine.”

“That’s not what I’m looking at.” Taiyang kept his voice level, not sure exactly how he should react just yet. “Ruby… you have a hickey.”

“So?” Ruby replied a little too casually, reaching up to rub her neck about where Taiyang thought he’d seen the mark.

He sighed. Tai knew his daughters had to grow up sooner or later, but if he had to be honest with himself, he hadn’t expected this from Ruby this soon, and he really wasn’t ready. “So you’re grounded until you give me the name of the boy who gave you that. And then me and him are going to have a little talk.” Tai had been a teenage boy himself, once upon a time. He hadn’t been the type himself, but he knew the kind of things a boy would tell a pretty girl to get what he wanted. And when there were consequences, well, too many boys just weren’t ready for that.

“Can’t do that,” Ruby said, looking away.

“And why not?” her father asked, a bit of growl in his voice as he crossed his arms. Evasiveness, that wasn’t a good sign. It meant that Ruby was sure he wasn’t going to like the answer.

Surprisingly, Ruby smirked up at him. “Wasn’t a boy,” she said, sipping her coffee and looking out the window. Yang did a spit-take across the table from her sister, patting herself on the chest.

Taiyang stood there stunned for a moment. Then he laughed nervously and ran a hand through his hair. “And her name is…?” he finally said, trailing off in a way he hoped would prompt Ruby to answer.

No dice. “Not telling,” she said, watching Zwei bounce around the yard as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

“Ruby…”

“Not. Telling,” she snapped at him.

“Fine.” His older daughter had been way too quiet so far, time to do something about that. “Yang you know most of Ruby’s friends, right? Got any likely suspects?”

Yang frowned, glancing back and forth between her sister and her father, but before she could answer, Ruby burst in with “Say anything and your secrets are his.”

“Oh really?” Yang said with a laugh. Good, now she might tell him just to spite Ruby.

“Starts with a ‘B’,” her sister said in a sing-song tone.

Yang’s amusement disappeared in an instant. “Nope, not a clue,” she said nervously before she glared at her sister. Ruby, for her part, just sat back in her chair with a smug grin on her face.

“Fine.” Taiyang shrugged. “You’re both grounded.

“What?!?” Yang yelled, slamming her fists down on the table. “I didn’t do anything!”

“Sounds like you did. So I’m grounding both of you. Yang, bike keys too,” he added, holding out his hand. “And I’m taking both of your phones, too. We’ll see whose rings first. And Ruby?”

“Yeah, dad?” she answered, cringing at the glare her sister was giving her from across the table.

Taiyang sighed and shifted gears mentally. Time to defuse things a notch. “I’m okay with you having a girlfriend if that’s what you’re worried about. I just want to meet whoever it is.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he said, reaching over and squeezing her shoulder before he turned and headed back to the stove.

It was a few minutes before he heard his younger daughter’s voice again “ I... gotta ask her. If, you know, she's okay with it. Her dad... he can't know.”

“That’s for sure,” Yang added. Aha, she did know. Well, if Yang was okay with whoever it was, then things were probably okay.

“Okay, Yang, you're off the hook for not telling, if there's a privacy issue,” Taiyang said gently, turning to smile at Ruby.

“Yes!” her sister whooped in celebration.

Premature celebration. “But not,” her father added, “for having whatever secret Ruby’s holding over you. If she’s playing that card now, then it’s probably something I need to know.”

“It’s nothing bad,” Yang grumbled, tossing her keys on the table next to her phone.

“I’ll make up my mind about that myself. Your phone too, Ruby,” Taiya said as he scooped them up.

“I… I need it to text her. And then I’ve got to wait for her to call,” Ruby replied, hesitantly sliding her phone across the table.

“Then you’re on your honor to hand it over after you’ve talked to her.”

Yang looked like she was about to argue, but decided to let it pass.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mention of abuse
> 
> Wow, I did not expect this to get kind of dark, but it did. Sometimes stories go places you did not expect them to.

The afternoon had turned into an odd form of detente. Or maybe the term Tai wanted was mutually assured destruction, he wasn’t sure.

Ruby and Yang sat on opposite ends of the couch, doing their best to ignore each other. At least when Yang wasn’t glaring at Ruby or Ruby wasn’t glancing at her phone to see if it had made noise. Yang had argued about Ruby being allowed to keep her phone until her still-nameless girlfriend responded, so Taiyang solved the problem by setting both their phones and Yang’s motorcycle keys on the coffee table in full of everyone. Besides, he figured it also served as an incentive for Yang to come clean about whatever blackmail Ruby was holding over her. In all honesty, he probably wouldn't be too angry with her as long as it wasn’t illegal or dangerously stupid.

Taying himself was sitting between them, both to serve as a buffer between the two and because it was the only open spot on the couch. He had a beer in hand, nachos on the table (that neither of the girls had touched), and soccer on the television. Life wasn’t too bad. Kind of interesting today, but not too bad.

Ruby’s phone rang, and Taiyang took a sip of his beer as casually as he could. “That her?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Take it outside so we can’t hear you.”

Ruby nodded and snatched the phone, bolting for the french door leading into the backyard. Her father watched as Ruby dropped down next to the tree, their corgi Zwei jumping up in her face for attention. Then he turned his eyes back to the television to give Ruby some privacy. Plus he didn’t want to miss the game. “Ooh, penalty kick, wonder what caused that? Probably be on a highlight reel later.”

Yang scoffed. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“You got a problem with Ruby having a girlfriend?” Taiyang frowned. Homophobia was not something he’d expected from Yang. ”Because if you do, we’re going to have to talk about that.”

“Nah, I got no problem with that,” his older daughter responded, shaking her head. “It’s who I think her girlfriend might be that’s the problem.”

“Is she trouble?”

Yang scoffed. “Nah, she’s just a real bitch. But, well, since Ruby and her have been hanging out she’s been… different, I dunno.”

Tai shrugged. “Well, we’ll see how it goes. Maybe she’ll surprise you.”\

“Maybe.”

They settled back into an uncomfortable silence, Yang occasionally glancing at her sister sitting up against the tree, under the treehouse that their father had built for them.

* * *

“-And I’m really, really sorry, Weiss!” Ruby wailed as she finished telling Weiss what had happened that morning.

“It’s okay, Ruby,” Weiss answered with a sigh. She glanced nervously up at the house, but there was no way anyone there had overheard her. This spot in the garden had become a safe haven for her long ago, years before she’d even met Ruby, much less started dating her. “Everyone makes mistakes. And it sounds like your father isn’t angry, just concerned.”

“But I broke my promise!”

“Ssh.” Weiss took a deep breath. “Someone had to find out sooner or later, I suppose. And it’s my fault for leaving the mark.” She chewed her lip and then asked the question she needed answered most. “Will I be safe with him?”

There was a long silence before Ruby answered. “I-I think so. And if you’re not, I’ll be with you.”

Weiss nodded, forgetting for a moment that Ruby couldn’t see her. “And your sister?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. She, she might already have guessed. But if dad’s okay, she might keep the secret at least. If I swear to keep hers.”

“And what dread secret do you have to hold over your sister?” Weiss tilted her head back to look up at the sky, it was such a pretty blue today, with hardly any clouds.

“That’s not my story to tell. Sorry.”

“Please?”

“No.” Ruby’s voice was sad, but Weiss knew better than to push.

“Okay.” Weiss sat up straight, glancing at the house once more. “I’ll see if I can slip out without my keepers sometime today. What’s the point of having a driver’s license if I never drive myself?”

“Today? Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Weiss smiled at how easily the next words came to her. Before Ruby had come into her life, she would have been terrified to say them out loud. “You told me I was safe with you. Well, you’re safe with me too. Always. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

After they’d hung up, Weiss used her phone to make sure she was composed before she went back inside. She couldn’t afford to let the mask she wore at home slip, not even a little.

“You were out there on your phone for a long time, dear sister. It must have been a fascinating conversation.”

“Whitley, don’t you have something better to do than spy on me?” Weiss crossed her arms and gave her brother a glare that could have frozen half an ocean.

Sadly, he’d grown resistant, familiarity breeding contempt and all that. “Oh, but it’s always so interesting. Especially when you dash off afterward.”

“A friend in crisis and in need of a shoulder to cry on. I’m going to go comfort her.”

“I think Mr. Rainart has the day off today; you’ll have to use a different driver.”

Ah, her brother’s trap was sprung. “There’s no need, Father,” Weiss said, turning to face him. “I’m perfectly capable of driving myself.

Her father scoffed. “You don’t need to stoop to driving yourself. We pay people for that.”

“Perhaps, but I prefer driving myself. If you’ll excuse me.”

Before she could leave, her father grabbed her by the arm. “One more thing. Why were you hiding out in the garden?”

“I wasn’t hiding, I was enjoying the garden. We pay so much for the landscaping after all. And,” Weiss shrugged, trying to ignore how her father’s grip made her skin crawl, “what my friend was upset about is rather personal. I thought I’d give them some privacy. Especially since Whitely is such a snoop.”

Her father grunted, letting go of her arm. “This friend… are they worth having?”

“You taught me that sometimes it helps to have the right friends, Father. This one helped me win the election for student council president.”

* * *

The ‘right friend’ in this case meaning a girlfriend, Weiss thought to herself as she parked the car in front of Ruby’s house. She knew where Ruby lived, of course, had given Ruby plenty of rides home and used them more than once to sneak in some time alone with her.

Weiss allowed herself a wistful smile as she checked her makeup. Maybe if things went well today, there’d be less sneaking around and more, well, more doing normal couple things. Like sitting on the couch and playing video games, or watching a movie together. They’d gone on dates before, nothing untoward here, just two friends going to a movie together, that’s right, but it’d be nice to have somewhere safe to just be themselves.

Safe. Safe was a word Weiss didn’t associate with too many places or people. But Ruby made her feel safe, and maybe Ruby’s home could be somewhere safe too. Weiss tapped out a quick text message to let Ruby know she was here and headed toward the front door.

She’d barely lifted a hand to knock when Ruby opened the door. “Okay, they know you’re here, but I, uh, I didn’t tell them your name yet, in case you didn’t make it today.”

Weiss nodded nervously. “Right, we wouldn't want Yang reacting differently to me Monday morning if I didn’t make it here before then.”

She stepped inside, her pale blue eyes looking over the entryway to Ruby’s home as if looking upon the gates of paradise. Which in a way it was, to her at least. Because here Ruby was free to be Ruby, not some songbird in a cage like Weiss was at home. Nothing was designer quality, laid out perfectly to within a fraction of an inch. This was a home after all, not a monument to wealth and power.

Weiss stopped when Ruby made a ‘wait here’ gesture. “No matter what they think, you’re safe with me. Always,” Ruby whispered, gently drawing Weiss close and kissing her, first where the scar crossed her eyebrow, then on the lips. She pulled away and smiled at Weiss. “Safe,” Weiss repeated, smiling at Ruby.

Ruby nodded, gave Weiss a goofy grin, then went around the corner into the living room. “Dad, Yang, this is my girlfriend, Weiss.”

Weiss stepped out into view, bowing her head. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Xiao Long.” She glanced at Ruby’s sister. “You don’t look happy, Yang.”

The blonde crossed her arms, not looking at Weiss. “You and I don’t get along, remember? Kinda puzzled me when you and Ruby started hanging out so much, but now I know why, I guess.”

“That’s true, but…” Weiss took a ragged breath. She wasn’t completely sure she was safe here, but perhaps she was safe enough. “There are reasons I keep almost everyone at a distance, but maybe I should let myself get closer to a few more people.”

Taiyang frowned. The careful way Weiss spoke, held herself, eyes constantly flickering back and forth as if looking for danger or an escape. He’d seen that before on too many women. “Abuse?” he asked gently, the single word speaking volumes.

The room held its breath. Yang’s jaw dropped as she turned to look at the girl she’d once dubbed ‘Ice Queen.’ Weiss was _trembling_ with fear as she nodded, dropping her chin to her chest, waiting for Taiyang’s response.

Which was not at all what she feared. So gently that she didn’t realize it at first, he pulled her into a hug that held a strength that felt comforting, protecting. “You’re safe here,” he whispered. “Nobody here is going to hurt you. I promise.”

Weiss started sobbing, her tears soaking the front of Taiyang’s shirt. How had he managed to break down her defenses so fast? Had Ruby learned it up from him? “I-I’m s-sorry,” she choked out, finally.

“Nothing to be sorry for. You need help, and we’re the helping kind around here.”

“Hey, mine,” Ruby laughed, putting her arms around Weiss and her dad.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, shattering the moment. “Now who could that be?” Taiyang said with a frown, glancing toward the front door.

“Shit!” Yang yelped, vaulting over the couch and running that direction.

“Is that ‘B’?” Tai asked looking down at Ruby.

“Not my secret to give up,” was the reply.

Yang stopped to catch her breath at the front door, the doorbell sounding again before she could open it. “Blake, hi, not a good time.”

Blake frowned, tapping her foot. “Is this why you haven’t been answering your phone all day? We had plans, remember?”

“Yeah, the jazz festival.” Yang glanced toward the living room. “Uh, shit, not sure what I should say right now. Dad found out I’ve got a secret, one that starts with a ‘B,’ Ruby threw me under the bus but it turns our she had a really good reason, I promise.”

Blake’s eyes narrowed as she scowled at Yang. “So she knows about us?”

“Yeah, but I guess she kept quiet.”

“And she threatened to tell your dad to keep her secret?” Blake’s scowl deepened. Besides her… questionable taste in friends, she kind of liked Yang’s sister. “And I’m guessing you’re not going to tell me what she’s hiding?”

“Nope, not mine to tell, I guess. Sorry, babe,” Yang answered as she shook her head.

“Fine.” Blake pushed past Yang, storming her way toward the living room, the blonde trailing in her wake. “So what’s this big sec—what are you doing here?” she snapped at Weiss when she saw her sitting on the couch, wiping her face with a tissue.

“Me?” Weiss shrieked. “What are you doing here?

“My girlfriend didn’t answer her phone all day, that’s what!” Blake yelled.

Tai winced. “Okay, let’s dial this back a-”

“Girlfriend?!?” Weiss shrieked again, glancing first at Ruby and then at Yang, who stood sheepishly a step behind Blake.

“Am I the only one that didn’t know any of this?” Tai asked with a laugh.

“Looks like,” Ruby answered with a shrug.

“So you knew about me and Yang?” Blake asked Ruby, who nodded. “Thanks for keeping quiet. But why is Weiss here, oh keeper of secrets?”

Ruby chewed her lip and glanced at Weiss, who sighed. “Ruby and I have been together for a while now. We kept it a secret because of my father.”

“Doesn’t like two girls being together?” Tai asked, setting the glass of water he’d been holding when Blake came in down in front of Weiss.

“Homophobic, racist, all-around asshole, there’s other words, but yeah,” Yang answered. She slid an arm experimentally around Blake, who bristled at first but then relaxed into it.

“You missed abusive,” Weiss said quietly, reaching up to touch the bottom of her scar with a trembling hand.

“Did he-?” Tai started to ask, only to break off as Weiss nodded. “How the hell is he not in jail after that?”

“Money,” Blake snarled.

Weiss flinched at Blake’s tone, then nodded. “He covered it up, made everyone think it was an accident. But my mother, she’s the one that stopped him, got the beating I would have, she knows. Since then my mother’s been getting help to get sober.” The white-haired girl laughed. “My father thinks she’s having an affair. But he couldn’t be bothered to care so long as she keeps it out of the paper to preserve the family’s reputation. The joke’s on him. Ever since he did this, she’s been quietly getting ready to divorce him and seize control of the company. MY mother’s going to throw him out on his ass with nothing but the family name to show for it if she can.” At Blake’s puzzled look, she added, “You didn’t know? My father took the Schnee name when he married her. His real name is Gelé.”

“Okay,” Taiyang finally said into the oppressive silence. “Sounds like your father had better hope I never get my hands on him. Otherwise, I’m probably going arrested for murder. Weiss, you’re safe here. We’ll even give you a key. And if you need a place to hide, the guest bedroom’s open. You’re not staying in Ruby’s room.”

“Hey!” the redhead squawked.

“Sorry, kiddo, you’re a little young for overnight guests. Also, Ruby told you I’m a martial arts instructor, right? Let’s see if we can sneak you in some classes without him finding out, give you a chance to put him on the receiving end of a beating if he hits you again. Now you,” Taiyang turned his attention to Blake, who was still frowning at Weiss, making her jump. “I guess your parents don’t know about Yang?”

“No. I, I’m not ready to tell them. My last relationship was… bad,” Blake said, her feline ears flattening on top of her head.

Taiyang nodded. It was just like both his girls to give their hearts to someone who needed healing. “Okay, then this house is a safe space for you two as well. And when the time comes, if it goes south, well, we’ll find somewhere to put you. But Weiss has the first call. And that is not up for discussion.”

Blake opened her mouth, then stopped and nodded her acceptance. “I’m sorry for every time I called you a bitch, Weiss.”

“Don’t be, I earned it,” Weiss answered. “Ruby… Ruby has done a lot to dull my sharp edges, help me be nicer.”

“So I’ve got a question,” Yang said, pulling Blake over to the aptly-named loveseat. “How did you two ever get together? I mean, one day you barely knew each other existed and then you were inseparable.”

“The elevator,” Blake, Weiss, and Ruby chorused, and Yang could have slapped herself on the forehead. Ruby had gotten stuck in an elevator at school for several hours early last year. And come to think of it, hadn’t Weiss been in there with her?

“I have problems with enclosed spaces, and when the lights went out, it got even worse. Ruby wrapped her arms around me and kept talking to me, trying to keep me calm. It was the first time I’d felt safe in a long time,” Weiss finished, kissing Ruby on the cheek.

“It didn’t start as dating, Weiss just needed a friend,” Ruby stammered, her cheeks as red as her namesake. “The other just kinda happened, and then one day I asked Weiss if she was my girlfriend.”

“I think my answer was ‘Obviously, you dolt,’” Weiss answered, which got a chuckle from Taiyang.

“Okay, this all sounds like we all have a lot to talk about.” Taiyang glanced at his watch. “It’s starting to get towards dinner time. I should get started cooking. Weiss, Blake, are you staying?”

“I… If it’s all right, I would like to. And I would like to offer to order delivery for everyone. My treat. It… it’s the least I can do, Mr. Xiao Long," Weiss said, pulling out her phone.

He shrugged. “More than one lost soul has found me holding out a hand to help them up over the years. But never let it be said that I’ll turn down the chance to not cook on someone else’s Lien. Mistrali good with everyone?”

After they’d ordered what seemed like an obscene amount of food, Blake pulled Weiss to one side. “So everything you said is true?”

“And more,” Weiss answered with a sigh. She guessed she had a long way to go before she and Blake were ‘good’ to use Ruby’s word.

“Okay. Listen, you and I don’t get along, but it sounds like you could use another friend. Maybe we could ease off on the hostility slowly?” One of Blake’s ears flicked, the earring catching the light.

“Perhaps.” Weiss considered for a moment. “It actually might play better with my father if I was the one to start making peace overtures. I could play it off as the daughter of Menagerie’s ambassador being a useful social connection.”

A shiver ran down Blake’s spine. “Is that the only way he sees things?”

“The only thing that matters to my father is winning.” A wicked smile spread across Weiss’s face. “Too bad he doesn’t know the game my mother is playing. I wish I could see his face when he gets ousted from the company and served divorce papers the same day.”

“If you do, get a photo, I want to see it,” Blake laughed.

“Hey, food’s here!” Yang yelled from the front door.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Six months later…** _

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

Weiss’s mother scoffed. “If I wait until I’m certain I’m ready, I’ll never do it. Now, now may be as good as it’s ever going to get. Especially now that we have Captain Ozpin’s assistance. If’ he’d just show up…”

Weiss nodded, not taking her eyes off the window. The two of them sat in the back of a limo, circling the block that held the SCD’s headquarters, waiting for Captain Ozpin and his officers. They’d caught a break in their plans to free themselves of Jacques Schnee when they learned that he was under investigation for some of his shadier business practices. Some cooperation, a few reasonable if unusual conditions, some key evidence provided by company insiders, and Jacques Schnee would hopefully soon be removed from their lives. Permanently.

Willow frowned as she noticed the ring her daughter was fidgeting with. Was it new, or had Weiss been wearing it and she just hadn’t noticed? She cursed herself again for retreating into a bottle instead of fighting him. She’d missed so much of her children's’ lives. And damn Jacques for tricking her like that. “Is that a new ring, Weiss? I hadn’t noticed it before.” There, small talk. A step forward.

Weiss twitched and looked down at her hand. “Yes and no. I’ve had it for a while, I just, I just couldn’t wear it around him.”

“I see. Symbolic of something you needed to keep secret from him?” Weiss nodded, still looking down at the rose decoration on the ring. “You can explain it to me when you’re ready.”

“I… Not just yet. After.” Weiss nodded again and Willow couldn’t help but flinch at the nervous glance her daughter gave her before going back to staring out the window.

Finally, they saw the police waiting for them in front of the building, and Willow told the driver to pull up. “Good morning, Mrs. Schnee, Miss Schnee,” Captain Ozpin said in a crisp tone. “Your theater awaits.”

“Thank you for coming, Captain Ozpin. This, what we do today will cut a cancer from this city and my family’s life. So many officers for one man,” she muttered as she looked at the crowd gawking on the sidewalk.

“It’s normal for a high-profile arrest like this. But your husband isn’t the only man we’re planning on arresting today. He obviously didn’t act alone, and some of the other people we need to arrest are here today.”

“So it’s theater for you too,” Weiss said, making her mother and Captain Ozpin both look at her. “The men you’re arresting, you have to be seen to be arresting them, so the public will know what’s happening.”

“More or less,” Ozpin admitted. “It serves as a warning to other greedy, powerful men that think they’re above the law. After you,” he said, gesturing toward the front doors.

Willow stepped across the lobby, Weiss a couple of steps behind her, their heels clicking on the white marble tile. Gods above and gods below, did her husband have no _taste?_ Like that mausoleum of a home he’d cursed them with, the lobby was nothing more than a monument to wealth and power. Was there a reason for the portrait of Jacques on the wall behind the reception desk besides his own ego?

The man behind said reception desk stood, his hand reaching for the phone. “Mrs. Schnee, how good to see you. I’ll let your husband know you’re here.”

Because she’d refused to set foot in here for years, so why would she be here if it wasn’t to see him. “No, I think not. I’d like to surprise him. In fact, Captain Ozpin, why don’t you have one or two of your officers stay here, make sure no-one leaves.”

Gentle music played as the VIP elevator made its way upward. “So, Weiss, after this, where do you want to get lunch?” Willow asked calmly, looking at her daughter.

Weiss answered, “I already have lunch plans,” fiddling with her ring again.

Her mother started to say something, then let it drop. After, Weiss had said.

The doors slid open, and the waiting hallway to the boardroom lay before them. Arthur Watts stood up from one of the chairs. Willow hated him. He worked for Mrs. Salem, another one of the people who put the ‘filthy’ in ‘filthy rich.’ “Now’s not a good time for you to see your husband, Mrs. Schnee,” he said loftily, his eyes scanning the police officers coming out of the elevators behind her. “They’re in the middle of a rather important board meeting. But if you would prefer, you can wait in your husband’s office and I’ll let him know you’re here.”

Before Watts could turn toward the boardroom doors, Ozpin stepped forward. “You’re not going anywhere, Mr. Watts. You’re on the list.”

“List, what l-”

Willow laid a finger on Watts’s lips. “Hush. One more peep out of you and I will see that you suffer for it,” she cooed.

Watts was immediately silent. He was used to the Willow Schnee he knew, usually drunk and well under her husband’s control. Who now was this lioness standing before him, looking at him like a rodent she’d cornered and was playing with before its inevitable demise?

Smiling a wicked smile, Willow turned once more to the oak and brass doors in front of her. She was going to _enjoy_ this. She shoved both doors wide open with outstretched palms. Half the people here were leaving in handcuffs. The rest, well, it was best they learned whose house this was now.

Jacques had half-stood at her entrance, now he finished standing, straightening his tie. “Willow, dear, what’s the meaning of this?” There was just a hint of menace in his tone. So he still thought he was in control, did he? Good. All the better.

His wife just gestured at the suited man standing next to her. “Are you Jacques Schnee?” the man asked.

“Of course I am! Now get the hell out!”

The man just shook his head. “Mister Schnee, I’m Adrian Tukson, and I’m a process server.” He held out a rather fat manila envelope Jacques. “You’ve now been legally served.”

“Whatever those papers are, they don’t count until he touches them. And I’m legally empowered to accept any and all such papers on Mister Schnee’s behalf.” a woman in a red dress said, reaching for the envelope, only to have him jerk them out of reach.

“Sorry, my instructions say personal service. And this is personal, not business. They’re divorce papers.”

“Divorce-!” Jacques roared. “You would never dare! I’d leave you with nothing and you know it!”

“Oh, I disagree,” Willow laughed. “You forget how many things are in my name. Purely for tax purposes, but that still gives me legal control. And you’re going to be too busy to really fight the divorce, in any case.”

Ozpin stepped forward. “Jacques Schnee, you are under arrest for multiple charges, including corporate fraud, insider trading, insurance fraud, market manipulation, bribery of public officials, tax evasion, both personal and corporate, money laundering and,” he tilted his head toward Willow, “two counts of aggravated assault and one count of attempted murder.”

“You can’t prove any of that,” Jacques snarled, fighting as two officers moved to handcuff him. “And you certainly can’t handcuff me like a common criminal.”

“Oh, you’re no common criminal alright,” one of the officers said with a grin. “That’s why we’re using new handcuffs.”

“You won’t mind us electing a new chairman of the board, will you Jacques? At least pro tempore,” Mrs. Salem said as they started to lead him toward the elevator, struggling and snarling obscenities and threats.

“That won’t be your concern, Mrs. Salem,” Captain Ozpin said with a smile. “You and several others are under arrest as well, including,” he glanced at the woman in the red dress,” Miss Cinder Fall. Some things just aren’t covered by client confidentiality, after all.”

“May I have a word with my father before you take him away?” Weiss took a step closer, being careful in case he lashed out. “Just so you know, _Father,_ I’ve been dating a girl for the last year and a half. None of those idiots you tried to sell me too ever stood a chance. Right. Under. Your. Nose.”

After those under arrest were led away, Willow stood next to the chair. “Well, I know today is certainly a difficult day for us all. As the single largest shareholder still present, I move that we adjourn for the day and reconvene in, say, a week, to elect a new chairman.”

A man sitting near the foot of the table scoffed. “I know your husband held the largest block of shares, but isn’t it a bit disingenuous to claim those shares? He’ll most certainly object since you just served him divorce papers. And probably aided in his arrest as well.”

Willow smiled. “Jacques held the largest block of shares because he held my proxy. Which I am immediately revoking, obviously.”’

Her smile could have given liquid nitrogen chills.

After they had sorted out the board and found the most senior member of management who wasn’t under arrest and put the fear of God into him (or Willow Schnee, who was the next best thing right now), mother and daughter headed down to the lobby. “So where do you want to have lunch, Weiss? I’m feeling expansive today.”

“Actually, mother, I have somewhere to be,” Weiss answered, tapping on her phone.

“Oh to be young. Fine, enjoy yourself today. We’re finally free of him, or at least the first step’s been taken. I’m viewing townhouses this afternoon; I’m not sure I still want to live in his monument. Maybe I’ll knock it down and let him have it in the divorce. Or leave it standing and no staff or money to maintain it. Oh, and Weiss?” Willow added, heading for the door as their limo pulled up.

“Yes, mother?”

Willow laughed as Mr. Rainart opened the door for her. “I expect your girlfriend for dinner sometime soon.”

* * *

“Blake, come look at this!” her mother’s voice came from the living room. “They’ve arrested Jacques Schnee.”

“ _Police sources have confirmed that Jacques Schnee, CEO of the Schnee Development Corporation, as well as several members of the board and upper management, were arrested this morning,”_ the reporter was saying. _“Appearing on the list of charges against Mister Schnee were two counts of aggravated assault, apparently stemming from a time when he attacked his younger daughter with a broken bottle and nearly beat his wife to death, then covered it up.”_

“Well, they finally caught that old monster,” her father said, setting a plate on the table. “Never thought I’d see the day. And almost beating his wife to death? That’s a charge that’s going to be hard to make stick.”

Blake shrugged. “They have Weiss’s testimony, and her mother’s, plus the doctor who treated them. She kept quiet for fear of her life.”

“And you know this how?” Ghira asked, giving his daughter a skeptical look.

“I’m friends with Weiss.”

“A dangerous friend, Blake. Be careful,” was Kali’s response.

“She’s not what you think, mom. She’s actually kind of nice, once she lets her guard down.” Blake’s phone buzzed, and she glanced at the message. _Here. U rdy?_ “They’re here.”

Kali and Ghira exchanged a look. Blake hadn’t told them anything about who was joining them for dinner, only that it was someone special she wanted to introduce them to. So Ghira had dismissed the staff and cooked lunch himself, a rare treat for a man as busy as Menagerie’s ambassador to Vale.

They looked up as Blake came back with a blonde human woman. “Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Yang.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Yang said.

Ghira frowned and looked down at her. “I’m not sure I like you,” he rumbled.

“Be nice,” his wife said, elbowing him where she knew he’d once broken a rib and it hadn’t healed quite right. She smiled at Yang. “Let’s give this nice young woman a chance to show us her heart if Blake has trusted her with hers.”

“Yang’s also how I got to be friends with Weiss,” Blake said as they took their seats.

“How so? Ghira asked cautiously.

The blonde laughed. “Here’s the story...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, this story comes to an end. What started as a chain of twitter posts grew just a little on me.

**Author's Note:**

> Taiyang is best dad.


End file.
